User blog:Degrassi Forever/Destroying Juliet, Chapter Two
THIS IS NOT A FANFICTION. THIS IS A STORY I WORKED ON DURING MY SUMMER HOLIDAYS. The J-Bomb: You know how you feel at the start of the school year: nervous, anxious, sometimes even excited? Me and my mates used to get together in the weeks before the first day, worried about which teachers we might get, or curious to see if there'd be any new people. This year all those feelings were magnified ten times because I was going to be the new student. Mum had got a posting back in the metropolitan area. After serving ten years in the country, she finally got a Head of Department position. I'd grown up in Grace Point, just outside of Margaret River. We arrived there when I was four, so I'd been at the same school my whole life. I knew everyone in town; I had heaps of mates and a social life. It wasn't much, going to friend's houses for movies, going to the town oval to watch the local team play but I was always busy, every weekend. I was captain of the hockey team and a member of the swimming squad. The night Mum and Dad sat me down and explained their new plans, I was at the risk of sounding overly dramatic. "It'll be fantastic," Mum said. "We can move up to Sorrento and be near the beach. We're looking at some really great, top-ranking schools for you. And if you want to go to uni, we'll be close enough that you won't have to board. I sat there in disbelief. What were they thinking? Grace Point was all I'd known. What could possibly be fantastic about us leaving it and going somewhere else? What about my friends - and the hideous prospects of having to make new ones? "No way," I said ignoring the tears that were threatening. "I'm not going. It's not fair. This is my home. You dragged us out to the middle of nowhere and now you think you can shift us back? What about me and Ruby? What about what we want?" "You'll make new friends, Juliet," Dad said, "and you'll still keep your friends here. We're not moving to another country, just a few hundred kilometres." Three hundred and four to be precise. I wasn't going to back down. I didn't want to change and I was angry with them both. They were full of this crap about the better lifestyle you would have if you lived in the country, with cleaner air and fresh, organic produce. And how we could live more individual and fulfilled lives, free from the life-draining, soul-destroying city, with its crime and drugs. Now the were saying the city had better opportunities for me - I felt like an Amish being thrown into Rumspringer. And Mum and Dad believe in democratic decisions. Everyone is supposed to have a vote in our family. Well I was voting a definite NO but Mum and Dad kept on at me; they weren't going to stop until all votes were YES. Strange idea of democracy, hey? Christmas holidays were a blur of packing and travelling between Grace Point and Perth. We spent hours on the road, Mum, Dad, my little sister Ruby and me. Those trips were long and tedious. I'd watch the stretch off ocean slowly disappear before my eyes, whilst Ruby sat next to me, resting her head on my lap. Ruby is a lot younger than I am. I was eleven when she was born but the age gap has never bothered me. After my birth, I was happy as an only child but I always thought about having a brother or sister. When mum found out she was pregnant apparently she said to the doctor, "But how did this happen?" The way the story goes, he looked over the top of his glasses at her and said "Mrs Maloney, as a Maths and Science teacher, I would expect you to know!" I've spent heaps of time looking after Ruby, helping bath her, feed her and even - I know it's gross - changing her nappies. I never understood why my friends complained about their siblings; Ruby was like my mini-friend. When the time came to say goodbye, insecurity overwhlemed me and I clung onto my friend, Jake. We'd been best friends since pre-school when I threw sand in his eyes and he ran screaming to his Mum. "I don't want to go," I said, suddenly frightened of the possibilities. I buried my face in his flannel shirt. He had that unmistakable warm, earthy smell of horses mixed with the sweetness of freshly cut hay. He ruffled my hair, something he knew always pissed me off. "You better not cry," he said. "You were always going to leave one day." I nodded and swallowed hard, forcing the tears back. I remembered all the times we shared together; I'd sit there watching him milk the cows and telling him of my plans to travel the world. But it was easy to be brave and adventurous when there was nothing to be put into action. "We have to go now, Juliet." yelled Mum from the car. "I know," I said, turning to look at Mum and Dad waiting for me in the car. The engine was running and they were listening to the static radio. Ruby was in her booster seat reading her nursery rhyme books upside down. "And it's not that far," Jake said, trying to sound convincing. "If you don't like it, you can always come back." I nodded and took a deep breath. We both knew that could never happen. I was going, for good, and it would just have to be wonderful. "Bye, bye Grace Point, I waved out the window as we joined the stream of traffic heading north. To Perth. Go to Chapter Three Category:Blog posts